Staple setting apparatus and method



March 18, 1952 2,589,491

C. B- GOODSTEIN STAPLE SETTING APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed July 51, 1946INVENTOR Czar/g .15 C'izrodszfeizz Patented Mar. 18, 1952 STAPLE SETTINGAPPARATUS METHOD Charles B. Goodstein, New Rochelle, N. Y. ApplicationJuly a1, 1946, Serial No. 687,415

2 Claims.

This invention relates to staples or staple strip,

methods of making the same, and machines for driving the same.

The smallest crown staples produced heretofore of the preferred naturehave a crown of about one-eighth inch. Smaller crowns are impracticalinthat the formin dies now used would not stand up' since they would nothave sufficient body. There are some stitchers made which take wire froma coil and form a crown of .090{ Such stitchers are of course limited tolight wire only and require much servicing since the former wearsrapidly. In accordance with the present invention, the staple or staplestrip has no conventional bridge or crown section, and is substantiallycrownless or bridgeless, having only a connection between the legs nogreater than the radius of the wire folded almost back upon itself. Suchstaples can have legs of equal length, or one long leg and one shortleg. Furthermore, the legs can be parallel or somewhat divergent. Wherethe staples have divergent legs, the stapling machine in accordance withthe pres ent invention is provided with means to complete thestraightening of the legs as it is driven, so that the staple is drivenwith its legs parallel.

Another object of this invention is to provide a staple comprising apair of legs interconnected by a bent back portion no larger than thewire will permit when bending the wire upon itself to form the staple.Such staple may advantageously be used by upholsterers since theyrequire an invisible tack or staple for finishing work on cloth. Oncloth with a pile, the staple, because of its unusually narrow bridgewould engage substantially only one thread when going into the wood fortacking and becomes practically invisible. For tackin woods together, astaple embodying the invention could be used in place of brads. Becauseof the elimination of a bridge or crown, the staple legs have a tendencyto spread outwardly against the channel wall in the stapling machine;thereby receiving greater rigidity in the driving action. Thus, a flatdriver engaging on top of the radius of the staple forces the legs tohug the channel walls during the driving operation.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a highly improvedand economical method of making staples of the character described.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a highly improvedand efiicient machine for driving staples of the character described.

Yet a further object of this invention is to provide a strong, ruggedand durable staple of the wire upon itself.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown various possibleillustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a staplestrip embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a staple strip embodying the inventionand illustrating a modified construction;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and illustrating yet anothermodification; I

Fig. 4 is an elevational view illustrating a step in making a stapleembodying the invention;

Fig. 5 is an elevational, cross-sectional view of a stapling machine fordriving staples embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is an elevational cross-sectional view illustrating a pile clothattached to a piece of wood for staples embodying the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 and illustrating yet another machinefor driving staples embodying the invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, [0 designates a staple stripembodying the inven tion comprising a plurality of staples I l, adheredtogether to form said staple strip.

Each staple ll comprises a pair of legs l2, which may be of similarlength and parallel, interconnected by a top bent back interconnectingportion l3. The interconnecting portion I3 is preferably no larger thanthe wire will permit by bending the legs l2 together. The staple II ismade from metal wire. If a piece of wire of which the staple is made isbent backon itself and released, it will open up a little and form aninterconnecting portion [3. The width of the space between the legs I2would then 'substantially be equal to the thickness or diameter of thewire. It could be less or perhaps as much as twice the thickness ordiameter of the wire. It will thus be noted that the staple ll does nothave a conventional bridge or crown. The interconnecting portion [3 isround or semi-circular and is formed merely by the act of bending Thelegs l2 are thus only slightly spaced apart.

The smallest crown staples heretofore produced I are the preformed typeand have a crown of the character described, which shall be easy toobvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

about one-eighth inch in length. Such staples staple ll may be made byfirst bending the wire into a V-staple as illustrated at [5 in Fig. 4.Such a staple is bent on a V-shaped die 16 so that it has downwardly andoutwardly divergent legs l5a, with a top interconnecting portion l3.

Thedie I6 will thus have sufficient body because it is wider at itsbase.

Staple H may also be formed by bending a piece of wire over on itselfand releasing the same so as to form an interconnecting portion having anatural radius caused by such bending.

If desired, the staple I5 may be used as it is, and driven by means ofmachine 38 as illustrated in Fig. 5. The machine 39 comprises a body 31formed with a chamber 32 having downwardly andoutwardly diverging walls34. Above chamber'32 is a passage '35 for a plunger or driver 36. 'Atthe lower end of chamber 32 are surfaces 31 which extend from thesurfaces 34 and are inclined inwardly to each other, said surfacesrunninginto the parallel surfaces 38 which form the passage 39 throughwhich the staple is driven. The staple i5 is fed to the chamber 32 inthe usual manner. As it is driven, the lower ends of the legs are guidedinwardly toward each other by surfaces 36, so that as the staple passesthroughpassage 39, the legs of the staple are in parallel condition.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated the use of staples l l for attaching cloth towood or other material. The legs of the staple are close together, butnevertheless may engage a thread 49 of pile cloth 4| for attaching thesame to a piece of wood or a base 42.. The cloth 4| may be upholsteryfabric or carpeting, or the like pile fabric, and the staple becomesinvisible when driven, as illustrated. The unusually narrow bridge mayengage even a single thread-going into the wood to tack the cloth to thewood and the staple becomes practically invisible.

Layers of wood may be tacked together by staples l I. The staple can beused in place of brads. The legs of the staple being close together,increases the strength of rigidity of the staple. Because of thesubstantial elimination of the bridge or crown, the staple legs have atendency to separate outwardly against the channel walls of a staplemachine, thereby receiving greater rigidity in the driving action. Suchaction is illustrated in Fig. 7 wherein a stapling machine 50 has adriving passage 5|. The staple I I in I the passage is driven by aplunger or driver 52.

7 they aredriven into wood or like material.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a staple strip 10a em- ;bodying the inventionand illustrating a modified construction. The staple strip 19acomprising staples Ila aglutenized or otherwise adhered together to formthe strip. Each strip comprises a 1 longer leg 60 and a short leg BI andan interconnecting portion 62 therebetween. The interconnecting portion62 is similar to the interconnecting portion 13 and is no greater thanthe radius of the wire folded almost back on itself.

\ The longer leg 60 is for driving the staple, and

the short leg 6! is for engaging material such as cloth.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a staple strip 101) which is comprised ofstaples 15. Such staples as illustrated in Fig. 3 may be'used as is, ina machine I shown in Fig. 5, or the legs'of such staples may be pressedtogether to form staple l I.

It will be noted furthermore, that when staple II is driven, if the legscontact one another due to their close proximity, one leg supports theother, to produce extra rigidity.

It will 'thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention,.I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent: 1. Apparatus of the character described com;- prisinga body formed with av chamber having divergent surfaces for supportingthe legs of a V-shape'd staple received in said chamber, a passage abovethe chamber, a driver Within said passage, a second passage below saidchamber having parallel surfaces throughout its extent, said chamberhaving inwardly converging surfaces extending from said'divergentsurfaces toward the second passage whereby divergent legs ,of saidstaple in said chamber driven by said driver will be guided toward eachother so as to cause said staple to be driven with paralleljlegs throughsaid second passage.

2. A method of making a staple comprising the steps of bending a wireintermediate its ends into a V-shaped structure, placing said'structurein a V-shaped chamber having the convergent portion of said chambercommunicating with a passage at the apex of said chamber, and havingconvergent surfaces extending from the divergent'portion of said chambercommunicating with a second passage at the base of said chamber, saidpassages being formed by parallel walls and aligned with'each other, andpushing said structure by a plunger in said first passage through thesecond passage whereby the divergent legs of said structure will beguided together so as to cause said structure to be driven with parallellegs through said second passage.

CHARLES B. GOODSTEIN.

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JAM

